Web er Complete Songs for Voice and Guitar Patrizia Cigna soprano Adriano Sebastiani guitar Carl Maria von Weber 1786-1826 Carl Maria von Weber Complete Songs for Voice and Guitar Complete Songs for Voice and Guitar Composer, pianist, guitarist and conductor, Carl Maria von Weber (Eutin, Holstein 1786 – London 1826) is justly considered the founder of German Romantic opera, in radical 5 Songs Op.13 Various Songs opposition to what was then the prevailing Italian tradition of Melodramma, or dramatic 1. I. Die Schäferstunde 14. Mayenblümlein, so schön Op.23 opera. Clearly influenced by Gluck’s Reform and Hoffmann’s style, Weber’s creativity J.91 (1810) 2’46 No.3 J.117 (1811) 2’23 revolved around the concept of heroic opera typical of the German Singspiel. 2. II. Wiegenlied J.96 (1810) 2’28 15. Bach, Echo und Kuβ Weber studied with Michael Haydn and also under Abbé Vogler, who helped him 3. III. Liebeszauber J.52 (1807) 4’12 (Ein Mädchen ging) obtain the post as Kappelmeister in Breslau in 1804. Two years later he took up the 4. IV. An den Mond J.72 (1809) 1’50 Op.71 No.2 J.243 (1818) 4’35 position of secretary to Duke Eugen von Württemberg in Karlsruhe, where he was 5. V. Die Zeit J.97 (1810) 2’08 16. Des Künstlers Abshied Op.71 then appointed musical director. In 1807 he moved to Stuttgart to work for the Duke’s No.6 J.105 (1810) 3’17 brothers, initially as secretary to Ludwig von Württemberg and later to the despotic 5 German Songs Op.25 17. Leise weht es J.223 (1818) 2’11 and corrupt Friedrich von Württemberg. During this period he was beset with problems 6. I. Liebe-Glühen J.140 (1812) 3’50 18. Sagt, woher stammt Liebeslust regarding accusations of embezzlement, but despite this he also managed to focus his 7. II. Über die Berge mit J.280 (1821) 5’54 attention on concert performances and composition. He wrote works for solo piano, Ungestüm J.110 (1811) 2’05 19. Serenade J.65 (1809) 1’21 piano four-hands, chamber music, 16 concerto arias for the soprano Gretchen Lang, 8. III. Lass mich schlummern 20. Romanze, “Ein König einst with whom he had a relationship, and the operas Silvana and Abu Hassan, respectively J.112 (1811) 1’16 gefangen sass” J.195 (1816) 3’19 performed in 1810 and 1811. Following several years of toing and froing between Mannheim, Heidelberg and 9. IV. Betterlied J.137 (1812) 2’22 21. Rase, Sturmwind, blase Darmstadt, during which time he also regularly gave concerts as a pianist, in 1813 he 10. V. Umringt von mutherfüllten J.111 (1811) 1’24 become director of the Opera House in Prague. Three years later he moved to Dresden Heere J.113 (1811) 4’15 to take up the job of Musical Director, which involved him in a great deal of conducting, including a production of Beethoven’s Fidelio in 1814. During this period he also did his 3 Songs Op.29 best to provide German opera with new stimuli by putting on performances of French 11. I. Ah, dove siete J.108 (1811) 2’26 Patrizia Cigna soprano romantic operas. On 13 May 1820 he finished what was essentially a manifesto of the 12. II. Ninfe se liete J.124 (1811) 2’29 Adriano Sebastiani guitar German romantic spirit: Der Freischutz, his masterpiece, which was premiered at the 13. III. Ch’io mai vi possa Konzerthaus in Berlin on 18 June 1821. J.120 (1811) 2’22 With the participation of: Weber ultimately married the singer Caroline Brandt, and that same year his first son Paola Cigna soprano, Lucia Paffi (and future biographer) Max was born, followed in 1825 by Alexander. Meanwhile, soprano, Cristina Bonaca soprano, his fame swelled and spread considerably with the premiere production in 1824 of his Dennis ChorHang Lau tenor, Paolo opera Euryanthe in Vienna. Alas, international recognition also coincided with serious Leonardi baritone health problems arising from consumption, though this did not stop him accepting a Weber dedicated the Three Canzonettas Op.29 to Caroline Friederike Wilhelmine commission that same year from Charles Kemble, director of Covent Garden Opera of Baden, to whom he presented them in person on 26 November 1811. They were House in London, to write a new opera. Despite his increasing illness, Weber set to published in Prague in 1814 by Haas5, and later reprinted by Hofmeister in Leipzig. work, composing Oberon, which he himself conducted on 12 April 1826, just two Intended for either a piano or a guitar accompaniment, the songs were originally in months before his death. Italian, and were later translated into German by Adolf Wagner. The great love that Carl Maria von Weber nurtured for the guitar comes clearly to In a diary entry for June 1811, the composer mentioned the recently finished Lied the fore in his correspondence, his diary and his oeuvre.1 Moreover, he was in contact Mayenblümelein (J.117), declaring that he had envisaged solely a guitar accompaniment. with exponents of guitar music such as Mauro Giuliani (1782-1829), Karl Keller (1784- In the first printed edition published by Schlesinger, however, the same song also appears 1855), Carl Blum (1780-1844), Josef Seliner (1787-1843) and Ludwig Berger (1774- with a piano accompaniment. 1828), to whom he dedicated the Sechs Lieder Op.15. At social gatherings he would The song Ein Mädchen ging (Bach, Echo und Kuss) (J.243) belongs to Friedrich Kind’s often sing these songs to great effect, accompanying himself on the guitar. He also used second one-act play, Der Abend am Waldbrunnen, and was written by Weber on 30 July two guitars for staged performances of A. Moreto’s Lustspiel Donna Diana, composed 1818. The text of the poem was printed in the “Dresdner Abend Zeitung”, while the the Divertimento for guitar and piano (J.207), and included the guitar in operas and Lied itself appeared as No.2 in the Op.71 collection published later by Adolph Martin other works for the stage, emphasising the natural timbre and colour of the instrument Schlesinger in Berlin. so that they fully suited the characters typical of literary romanticism. For example, in Des Künstlers Abschied (J.105) featured as No.3 in the Op.71 collection, although his opera Abu Hassan (J.106) two guitars are required for the second aria, a serenade to it was conceived as a song with guitar accompaniment several years earlier, in 1810, as the protagonist’s wife Fatima in which he sings his praise for the joys of life.2 Likewise, another diary entry clearly reveals. the choice of a guitar to accompany Reiza’s aria in Oberon (J.306) eloquently suggests Weber composed the romance Leise weht es (J.223) in 1818 as part of the music to the chivalry of Huon, who frees Reiza from imprisonment in a harem. accompany the staging of Kind’s Das Nachtlager in Granada. It was Kind who then Published for the first time by Gombart in Augsburg in 1811, theLieder Op.13 were wrote the libretto for Der Freischütz, which was premiered in Berlin on 18 June 1821. composed between 1807 and 1810, and dedicated to the composer’s friend August The Lied Sagt, woher stammt Liebeslust (J.280) was composed by Weber on 10 Hoffmann.3 A letter addressed to Gottfried Weber of 30 April 1811 reveals that the January 1821 for a production of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice in a translation by composer originally intended to write 6 Lieder for voice and guitar, though he ultimately August Wilhelm Schlegel. The play was staged in Dresden and this song was included only sent his publisher five, along with a three-voice canon. in the second scene of the third act. It is a distinctly polyphonic composition, calling for The Lieder Op.25 were first published in 1812 by Gröbenschütz and Seiler in Berlin.4 two sopranos, a three-voice female choir, and a guitar accompaniment. Along with the Lied Rase strumwind, blase (J.111), the second, third and fifth songs The serenade Horch leise, horch geliebte is a setting of a poem by Jens Baggesan were composed for August von Kotzebue’s one-act play Der arme Minnesänger (The that was composed for voice and guitar in Stuttgart on 22 February 1809. It was first Poor Minstrel) in Munich on 8 May 1811 at the behest of the court music director published on 8 January 1810 as a supplement to the seventh issue of “Morgenblatt für Ferdinand Fränzl (1770-1833). The work was staged a month later, on 9 June 1811, also gebildete Stände”, but with a piano accompaniment. The guitar version appeared later in Munich. The other two songs are arrangements Weber himself made of Lieder with that year in reprints by André and Simrock. piano accompaniment. Towards the end of August 1816, at the end of his stay in Prague, Weber composed the Romance Ein König einst gefangen sass (J.195) as stage music for Ignaz Franz on the psyche. Many of the Lieder with guitar involve stanzas whose intrinsic simplicity Castelli’s play Diana von Poitiers. The work first appeared on 9 February 1822 as calls for great depth of interpretation. Only thus can their exquisite elegance come fully a supplement to the magazine “Der Freimühtige”, and was later republished by to the fore. Schlesinger in Berlin. In conclusion, Weber’s importance as a composer of Lieder is further testified by the Most of Weber’s songs with guitar accompaniment were written between 1809 and four songs Die Temperamente beim Verluste der Geliebten (JV 200-300), which express 1812, during the years in which he was studying under Abbé Vogler, a period that was different states of mind following the loss of his loved one.